Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Among the bustling build-up in the center of Towson, where bigger and brighter seems to take the lead in the development of multiplex cinemas and popular restaurants, a quiet but significant restoration is happening in an unlikely place Prospect Hill Cemetery.

The area surrounding the graves was recently given a complete makeover, with boxwoods and sedge planting framing the perimeter, the knotty grass replaced with bluestone dust, and bollards with a link chain provide additional protection.

Just to the left of the narrow, winding road that circles the 6-acre cemetery, with Towson City Center looming nearby, are the five headstones of the Hillens, a family entrenched in Towson's history, including brothers John Hillen and Solomon Hillen III, who helped defend Baltimore.

The restoration is timely as Baltimore gets ready to celebrate the bicentennial anniversary of its defense at North Point against the British on Sept. 12, 1814. And to that end, Prospect Hill will hold an open house on Sept. 12.

"Few people realize the historical significance of our local residents buried right here at Prospect Hill," said Carolyn Parker Knott, president of Prospect Hill's board.

In addition to the brothers, their father, Solomon Hillen Jr., is buried with wives Martha Wheeler and Martha Clements.

John Hillen took part in the American Revolution, then served as a lieutenant in the fifth Maryland militia in the War of 1812.

Solomon Hillen III served as a private in Capt. Richard Magruder's company of American Artillerists, battled with the Maryland Fifth Regiment at Bladensburg on Aug. 24, 1814, and then participated in the Battle of North Point three weeks later on Sept. 12.

"The Hillen plot contains the oldest grave monuments in Prospect Hill. The bicentennial of the War of 1812, plus their extremely fragile condition, made them the priority area to protect," Knott said. "Their physical location also makes them vulnerable to damage, and once those markers are gone, we will have lost a piece of early Towson history."

In addition to their service in defending Baltimore in 1814, the Hillens have ties to other area history. Loch Raven was named in honor of the mother of Solomon Jr., Elizabeth Raven, the family helped establish the Baltimore Basilica downtown and their son was the 15th mayor of Baltimore and a member of Congress.

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Prospect Hill Cemetery restoration honors Baltimore's 1814 defenders

A residential subdivision planned for Queenstown, which ''clearly flies in the face'' of the district plan, has been slammed by the Environment Court.

HIL Ltd directors William and Peter Hodgson, of Tucker Beach Rd, appealed a Queenstown Lakes District Council decision which rejected a five-lot subdivision on the open slopes of Ferry Hill.

The land was described as a ''transition area'', between a visual amenity landscape (VAL) and an outstanding natural landscape (ONL), in the district plan.

At present, a corridor of development was in the Ferry Hill rural residential sub zone, comprising more than 30 properties and another 25 consented but unbuilt sites.

HIL's site was at the end of that corridor of development.

While the applicant believed the site constituted a ''gap'' in rural living zones around the lower slopes of Ferry Hill and its development would not change the nature of the landscape, the Environment Court disagreed.

In his written decision on August 10, released this week, Judge Brian Dwyer said the overall effects of the proposal were ''more than minor and in many cases they are significant'', regardless of whether the site was considered to be in an ONL or VAL.

The proposal was inconsistent and contrary to the ''overall thrust'' of objectives and policies of the district plan.

Judge Dwyer said the slopes of Ferry Hill had ''little capacity to absorb change by use of topography''.

While it was necessary to have regard to existing and consented environment, the proposal was not a minor extension of that and could not be readily absorbed into the environment.

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Court backs council refusal of development

A HAMPSHIRE-wide project aimed at helping artists improve their work is set to be launched in Winchester.

The Hampshire-based creative practice SPUD (Space, Place-Making and Urban Design) has been working on a project over the past year to create a new workspace to help artists engage with the landscape.

The observatory has been designed as a sculpture, workspace and look-out with the help of architects and artists after a competition was launched earlier this year.

The first location for the observatory will be adjacent to Winchester Science Centre at Morn Hill from January 2015 for six months before moving to Lymington in July.

Winchester City Council proposed the location on the edge of the South Downs National Park. Council leader Cllr Rob Humby said: Winchester is known as a creative centre in the South, and we see this as an important economic driver as well as something which enhances the quality of everyday life in our District. I love the design that has been chosen for The Observatory and really hope that it will inspire our creative community to apply for residencies at Morn Hill and potentially also at its next stop on the Sea Wall in Lymington.

Would-be residents are asked to apply online at lookinlookout.org/#!residencies/cyuu and the closing date for submission is Friday, October 3.

The Observatory has recently received funding from Arts Council England and corporate sponsorship from James Latham plc who will be providing most of the construction materials.

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Touring observatory to inspire artists to engage with landscape

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By: Hannah Thames

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Need Some Land Clearing in Houston? Call Land Clearing in Texas! - Video

Lago Interiors | Interior Designer Brandon Florida | (813) 685-2992
http://lagointeriors.com 813-685-2992 Lago Interiors Brandon reviews 5 Star Rating Terry has made drapes for several rooms, installed remote controlled blind...

By: Lane A. Houk

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Lago Interiors | Interior Designer Brandon Florida | (813) 685-2992 - Video

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) September 09, 2014

Standout Los Angeles-based interior designer Stacey Cohen, well known for competing as a finalist on HGTVs Design Star, today announced the launch of a new lifestyle blog Rustic & Rich, to feature a mix of design, dining, and lifestyle content.

With the new Rustic & Rich blog, Cohen will share weekly commentary, insights, inspirations, how-to and trend articles and insider design tips on everything home, design, dining, and lifestyle.

Well-known for her fresh approach to luxury interior design and focus on client experience, Cohens design aesthetic that balances traditional design principles with vintage, modern, and unexpected elements has fast distinguished her as a top influencer in the interior design industry.

Cohen says Rustic & Rich, set to launch September 16, represents a brand expansion and effort to tap into the Los Angeles market, where her boutique firm Stacey Cohen Interiors is based.

With the explosion of social spaces and online content theres a real opportunity for brands to create a space to truly engage with consumers, DIYers and lovers of all things design, Cohen said. For SCi, Rustic & Rich will be that spacean exciting new venue and community where we can connect with current clients and fans and also reach a larger audience.

Cohen also recently released a new EBook, Online Office: A Business Companion for Creative Entrepreneurs, which offers how-tos for startups on: establishing business processes, growing clientele, marketing and building strong vendor teams.

Stacey Cohen Interiors is a full-service boutique design firm offering: in-home consultations, lighting plans, landscape design, painting consultations, architectural drawings, permits, general contracting and product sourcing and purchasing.

For more information on the new Rustic & Rich blog or to schedule a complimentary new client phone consultation, contact info(at)staceycoheninteriors(dot)com.

Also, join the Stacey Cohen Interiors social media communities on Pinterest at http://www.pinterest.com/scinteriors/ and Twitter @SCInteriors.

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Rustic Meets Rich in Design Stars New Lifestyle Blog

By Linda B. Bolido |Philippine Daily Inquirer

FROM left: Regala; Caringal; Goh; Dr. Lilia de Jesus, president of Interior Design Educators Council; Chona Elvas-Ponce, treasurer of Council of Deans and Heads of Architecture Schools of the Philippines, and Bobadilla

Nippon Paint has launched in the Philippines its annual Nippon Paint Young Designer Award (NPYDA), a competition that aims to inspire interior design and architecture students to apply creativity and innovation in improving their communities and to push the boundaries for future living.

Initiated in 2008, this years competition hews even more closely to Nippon Paints corporate commitment with the theme, Re: Think. Re: Create. Our Community, Our Home. The company expects the theme to challenge participants to create a township that is community-centric and sustainable, providing a high quality of life for everyone.

The theme is also meant to enhance students knowledge of how color and design can contribute to beautifying the environment and how it can benefit people and the community.

Almost a third, or 30 percent, of ratings in the two contest categoriesinterior design and architecturewill come from green design elements.

Green is not just plants

Nippon Paint says that although its products are available in thousands of colors, it is most interested in green. But contrary to some peoples view that green is having potted ornamentals and a few shrubs, Nippons green means protecting and preserving the environment.

It says it dedicates our best efforts to protect and preserve Mother Nature for the benefit of future generations, reducing energy consumption and minimizing water disposal in the production process, and developing products with ultra-low volatile organic compoundchemicals that evaporate or vaporize, rapidly posing a threat to human health and the environmentand are energy-saving.

Gladys Goh, group general manager of Nippon Paint Malaysia, says the company has a long-standing belief that the ability to break convention and boundaries is found in the minds of the young, the new generation. NPYDA, she says, aims to help shape future interior designers and architects.

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Green design competition launched

Home sellers can expect buyers will perform a home inspection before closing on a home, and for many, its a stressful part of the home-sale process. Rarely does the inspector find absolutely nothing wrong with the place. Whats more, buyers may ask for all the items in the inspection report to be addressedeven if theyre not major problems.

In the last couple of years, because it has been a buyers market for so longinspection reports end up acting as a punch list for sellers to tend to, said Wes Flacker, owner of Century 21 Magellan Realty in Boise, Id.

What can you expect when the inspector walks through your home, clipboard and digital camera in hand? Here are some of the most common problems that pop up in inspections of American houses, broken down by category.

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Amy Hoak's Home Economics: 7 things that are wrong with your house

The Northwest Regional Housing Program, representing the counties of Ashland, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Iron, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, and Washburn, is now accepting applications from homeowners needing to make major repairs to windows, exterior doors, shingles, siding, insulation, furnaces, wiring, plumbing, water and sewer laterals, failing septic systems or wells; and other major home improvements.

Funds are available to assist qualifying applicants make necessary repairs to owner- and renter-occupied housing units and to provide down payment assistance to qualifying families purchasing a home.

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To become a new online only subscriber, please choose this option. By doing so, you will first proceed to a registration form. Upon completion of the registration form you will then continue by completing the subscription form. For assistance please call 715-682-2313. Thank you.

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To become a new print and online subscriber, please choose this option. By doing so, you will first proceed to a registration form. Upon completion of the registration form you will then continue by completing the subscription form. For assistance please call 715-682-2313. Thank you.

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Home repair funding available

Home warranty with integrity. On Top of the World Communities - Ocala, Florida
On Top of the World #39;s Warranty Department ensures the homes, villas, and buildings are properly maintained. Staffed by licensed contractors, mold accessors, and mold mediators, our Warranty...

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